THE SCIENCE OF PRAYER

Scientific Religious Service and Invisible Impersonal Ministry.

Introductory Lesson (extract)

Millions and millions of people today are indulging in daily Prayer. This has been going on since well over fifty Centuries, as Prayer is a natural act of devotion, not only of expression of admiration to Divinity but also of request for certain benefits. People Pray, or course, mostly when they are in need of special assistance, when they are either repentant or desperate, when they cannot rely their own resources or when they cannot trust themselves so much as they would, if they could.

         Most people Pray, or course, without know-how. People have been told to Pray, since time immemorial, by their religious guides, but only in schematic ways and by formulas. In reality, they have never been taught how to Pray, and still less, no one informed them at school or in the Church of a possibility of scientific technique susceptible of increasing the efficacy of the Prayer process or method.

         Now we are not concerned here with the fundamentals of any special form of Religion, Faith or Church. We are scientists of the Spiritual, and we strive to make Spiritual powers more evident or more effective through scientific treatment. Science is not the opposite of Religion, and much less its antithesis; it is, rather, its basic aspect, as without science no knowledge is possible, and without due knowledge no Religion is really practical or effective.

         If we were asked what Prayer is not, we would say outright that it certainly cannot be automatic and irresponsible. It can be highly emotional in meaning, also, but never can be effective and practical when repeated drearily and mechanically like a windmill chant.

         During many years of Missionary practices and religious leadership, in different parts of the world, we have unceasingly wondered why people were not taught how to Pray, that is how to contact Divinity and provoke the effective results aimed through Prayer. People of all Religions and Faiths are tell to Pray, but always in the same systematic formulary way. So we reached the conclusion that a Science of Prayer should be developed, so that people of all Religions and Faiths might benefit equally through it, that is by its right application.

         This conclusion started us on the long and difficult task of consultation with religious leaders and Minister or Priests of all possible denominations and in all the latitudes of the world. We even brought up the subject before several Grand Assemblies of the World Parliament (Congress) of Religions in 1922, 1928, 1933 and 1937. Now we believe the moment has come for us to take action in a definite way, and we thought that the best way would be to gather together people of different Creeds and make them Pray scientifically and under constant supervision, coaching and instruction. This experience was re-edited in different countries for several years, and during that time, we gathered also our papers sent to different Religious Congress on the subject matter of Scientific Prayer, Creative Prayer, and Logics of a Scientifically Developed Religion. The outcome, as you may have concluded by yourself is the present Course of Study on The Science of Prayer.

         Why a Science of Prayer?   Many people claim that Prayer is a fancy, while others say that it is a remnant of primitive superstition. Who is right? We prefer to avoid interfering with other people’s religious background or preferences, and we speak only about the signification of Prayer as a Scientific process or method. All Religions and cult are equally respectable to us, and we want to be of assistance to all people so that they may enjoy better the fruits of their own Religion or Faith.

         When we speak of the Science of Prayer, of course, we do not mean that people should Pray in any special Church or Temple, or that they should have definite or orthodox formulas. Science is free from prejudice, and certainly also of sectarian designs.

         To begin with, let us take into consideration the fact that Prayer cannot be a form of information to God or higher Spiritual beings. It is presumable that our information, as made by inferior or less evolved people, and being to our own interests, it cannot be completely trustworthy. Neither does God depend on our means of knowledge or on our source of information. It is also rather presumptuous to believe that God and higher beings of the invisible worlds can be brought to have change of mind merely on the basis of our personal claims, pronouncements and promises.

         If we believe that God can be cajoled or subject to changes of mind just like that, just to please you or I, then we must have a tremendously poor idea about the infinite and almighty God. As for the matter of requests made in our Prayers, we must be pretty certain of ourselves to make such statements and expect God and all the higher beings of the Invisible world to yield to our petitions. What of when our requests are simple whims, or the results of vice and ridiculous vanity?

         Is it any wonder if Prayer remains for the most part unanswered, or futile? In some instances, we see people Pray for rivers to stop swelling, and to prevent lightning from failing on Churches, homes and human properties. We also know of cases when people Pray to cast out the devil, to stop ailments, to make children behave, or to gain the love of a winsome neighbor, and even to find lost property or to obtain a spouse promptly. Now if the business of God were to answer all such Prayers He would have a tremendous task on His hands. More so when people are for the most part unworthy of special attention, let alone Divine munificence.

         Our concern here, of course, is not to discourage people from Praying, or to bring people down to earth and make them realize that their Prayers are worthless and ineffective. Our task is, rather, to lead people to real form of Prayer, and to prove to them that there is a Science of Prayer like there is a science of electronics, of medicine or of mechanics.

         The Science of Prayer is offered now to all people, regardless of Religion, Faith, race or nationality. Prayer is an affair of conscience, of the heart and of the Spirit; not of doctrine, dogma, party, economic standard or social upbringing.

         To Pray is to create. To Pray, stated otherwise, it is to be really religious.

         Sincerely yours

         Your Instructor

         K.H.